Balloons are known and used for many years in a large variety of uses and applications. For example, balloons may be used for decoration of dinner tables, wedding cars, entrance to houses or gardens, ceilings, event halls, swimming pools, and the like.
Balloons may be used for fun and for games. Even though balloons are typically carried and played by children, also adults used to use balloons for social games activities.
The balloons may be inflated with air or with a gas that is lighter than the air. When a balloon is inflated with air, the inflated balloon will be heavier than the air and, therefore, it will lie in its place or be hanged from a higher place. When a balloon is inflated with a gas that is lighter than the air, e.g., helium, the inflated balloon will tend to fly upwards. This effect is used in decoration, or, when walking with an inflated balloon that is tied with a string. Furthermore, the upwardly flying of a balloon may also be used as a show, e.g., when releasing inflated balloons in a public event.
The balloons may be inflated in various ways. When a small quantity is to be inflated, the balloons are typically inflated manually, i.e., holding the balloon neck inside the mouth, inhaling air into the lungs, and forcibly excelling the air into the balloon while overcoming its initial expansion tension. When the balloon reaches its desired size, the inflating is stopped and the balloon is removed from the mouth with two fingers while keeping the balloon's neck pressed tight in order to prevent the air from escaping from the balloon. Then, the balloon's neck is tied up, typically, by stretching it and self tightening it.
The inflating of a balloon by the mouth as described above suffers from various disadvantages. First, many times it is very difficult or nearly impossible to overcome the initial expansion tension of the balloon. It is a very difficult and disappointing task for a child at the ages of 6-10 years, and, may be a totally impossible task to be carried out by a younger child. Second, the inflated balloon exerts back pressure on the lungs of the inflating child/adult, a fact that may cause damage, especially to children. Furthermore, the inhalation of the carbon-dioxide (CO2) from the balloon may cause fainting. Third, the inflated balloon has to be held tightly with the lips in order to prevent any air escape. In this position, the entire balloon or a portion thereof may be partially swallowed and stuck in the trachea (the windpipe). This may cause asphyxia, i.e., suffocation, due to lack of oxygen. Fourth, the inflating action should take place relatively fast in order not to get tired of holding the inflated balloon while inflating and prior to tying. This action may be difficult to coordinate between the mouth and the hands. Fifth, when releasing the balloon from the mouth by means of one hand it leaves only one hand for handling the tying of the inflated balloon, a task that may be very difficult to accomplish.
Other methods of inflating balloons are through pumps, whether manual or electrical. In those cases, the balloon neck has to be stretched on an inflating nozzle of a pump, then, the pump is operated, either manually by hand or foot, or, electrically. In these cases, at the end of the inflation both hands are free to perform the tying action. However, in many cases, it is necessary to tightly hold the balloon on the inflating nozzle in order to prevent air leak and in order to prevent the balloon from disengaging the nozzle. It is clear that in this case neither of the hands are free for tying the balloon.
A disadvantage of those systems is that they are relatively expensive, and cannot be operated by small children. Furthermore, when mounting and stretching the balloon's neck over the inflating nozzle, an action that may be difficult to children, extreme care should be taken not to tear the balloon.
In a case where the balloon is inflated with a light gas like helium, the balloon's neck is stretched over a nozzle that is connected to an outlet valve of a compressed gas cylinder. This method suffers from the disadvantages described in the former paragraph, and, furthermore, from the precautions that should be taken care when handling compressed gas cylinders.
There are various assemblies known in the art for inflating balloons. FR1034889 discloses a tip grip for easy inflating air balloons for children. FIG. 1 of '889 describes a tip gripper that is formed by a length of tube 5, preferably of cardboard or similar material and with a short piece of rubber tubing 6 that fits tightly on the end of the nozzle, this tube piece rubber being flattened so that it takes the position shown in FIG. 1, when one of its ends is fitted onto the endpiece, the other end remaining flat.
A ball 7 of the hub 5 is mounted in its interfitting collar rubber tube piece 6 until the flange 8 provided at the outer end of said neck is engaged on the tip end of the rubber tube mounted on the mouthpiece.
The pressure in the balloon tends to expel it from the end of the nozzle 6 but closely greenhouse tube tip and the neck of the flusk in turn, exerts a good hold by friction on the rubber tube. The bead 8 of the engaged end of the collar against the end of the tube in turns helps to prevent the ball from escaping from the nozzle.
FIG. 2 of '889 describes the ball 10 of the balloon that is held in position on the tip 11 by a rigid sleeve 12 which is threaded into the neck 13 of the flask and part of the collar is folded back over the sleeve 12 so that the bead 14 is reduced to above the sleeve. The sleeve is then pushed, in turn, in the end of the nozzle 11 in which it fits tightly, which secures the balloon.
A disadvantage of the '889 patent is that it utilizes two devices for holding the balloon, namely, a tube and a sleeve. Furthermore, the method of mounting the balloon on the tip and the necessity to fold it backwards, is relatively complicated to do, and it may be impossible to be carried out by small children.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,315,955 discloses a valve for inflating bodies. The convex, thin and flexible part 7 is a part of a disc 4. The balloon flange is mounted on the groove 6 and remains attached therein. Afterwards, a piece of the convex part 7 is cut such that a portion 8 thereof, between points a and b remains attached to the disc, and the cut part utilizes as a one-way valve during the inflation of the balloon.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that significantly reduces or overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that is easy to use.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that can be operated by small children.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that prevents air escaping from the inflated balloon.
It is also a further object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that leaves both hands free.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that can be used as a toy in a variety of applications.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that enables releasing the inflated balloon manually or mechanically.
It is still further another object of the present invention to provide a balloons inflator that can easily release the inflated balloon.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a balloon adaptor that is formed from a single piece body.